Dr. Françoise Sidime, neuroscientist

Her Step Forward

Dr. Françoise Sidime is a neuroscientist and assistant professor at the College of Staten Island, Helene Fuld School of Nursing and Wagner College. She obtained her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Graduate Center, CUNY in New York. Françoise currently lectures and teaches extensive skills employed in the field of biology and neuroscience. Françoise is also the founder and president of Ekarus Global Science - a program dedicated to providing academic advancements, mentorship and research opportunities to high school students in the STEM discipline. Dr. Sidime is also the co-founder of a sister company called PreMedPro - a program that offers pre med high school students training skills in the field of medicine.
Dr. Françoise Sidime realized early on that having the right mentors plays a huge part in professional success. In the scientific world, the right mentors meant that Françoise would be introduced to depths of research she had never known before. When a research project at Johns Hopkins University led to the opportunity to work with high-profile scientists, Françoise was excited to accept the invitation.
The team set out to see if brain activity is affected by consuming food heated in plastic containers in the microwave, and if the practice could potentially be linked to autism. It was this project, working with her mentors on the forefront of neuroscience, that made Françoise realize that she had what it takes to have a career in neuroscience.
Joining us to share her story, Françoise talks about her keys to success as a woman in STEM, creating a program to help increase the number of underrepresented minority students in STEM disciplines, and the importance of women surrounding themselves with a like-minded network.